


The Black and Blues

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Drama, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-11
Updated: 2016-04-11
Packaged: 2018-06-01 17:57:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6530212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I mean what the hell is going on down at Hogan Place?  Is anyone there looking out for the safety of lawyers?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Black and Blues

“I'm not telling him.” Rafael said as they walked into the building and went up the stairs.

“You're not telling him? You don’t have to…your face says it all.”

“Why are you here?”

“To stem the tide.” Olivia replied.

“Exactly. He's going to go crazy and hover and we don’t even need that. It was an isolated incident. But he's going to remember Johnny D, and the threats after Alex, and he's not going to want to let me out of his sight.”

“What threats after Alex?”

“Don’t start, Liv.”

“You didn’t tell me about any threats.”

Rafael stopped at the top of the stairs. He didn’t need this right now. He didn’t need Olivia coming from one side and Trevor coming from the other. If he hadn’t told her about the threats it was because it wasn’t a priority at the time. The DA’s office thought it was and had offered Rafael protection but he scoffed. 

Mostly he scoffed because it was the DA’s office’s fault he was in the shit in the first place. They refused to let him recuse himself and now his own people, Cuban-American New Yorkers, saw him as a traitor. Some were quite vocal in what they planned to do about it. One got a little too close but Rafael never told anyone about that. 

He surely wasn’t going to let some teenage girls intimidate him. Half the reason he took the licking was because of how unfathomable it was to beat up a teenage girl. Even if they were part of a Manson type family. Rafael would prefer to not end up like Sharon Tate. And he was on a hit list right now. He wasn’t the only one, but he was the only one that Trevor was going to worry about.

“I need you to focus on the matter at hand.” He said.

“Those three girls are in juvie tonight. They may be facing adult charges; assaulting an officer of the court is a serious thing. Whatever influence they might be under isn't going to be given the utmost consideration. He has a lot of people under his sway…they’ll make an example out of these three.”

“Usually something like that would make me cringe.” Rafael took his keys out of his coat pocket. “Tonight I won't lose any sleep over it.”

“You could still be a target, Rafael.”

“Hey, could you maybe not say that in front of Trevor? Thank you.”

Liv nodded as he opened the door. Rafael called out for Trevor and Trevor called back he was in the bedroom.

“Are you naked?” Rafael asked, ignoring the look on Liv’s face.

“Do you want me to be?”

“I need you to come out here, cuchura. Liv is with me.”

“Liv? Is everything OK? I hope that this isn't…oh my god, what happened to you?”

Rafael cringed, he knew it was coming. Trevor was already trying to hold back the tears as he rushed over to him.

“What happened, Rafi?”

“There was an incident at the courthouse…”

“Oh my god, your face; your neck. Where the hell was security? What happened?”

“Three of Michael Craft’s followers attacked him in the bathroom.” Liv replied. “Two security guards rushed in when they heard the melee. Apparently the girls had been lying in wait.”

“You could've been killed.” Trevor said.

“I'm not dead, I'm right here.” Rafael said. “It was really difficult for me to reconcile being violent with a 14 year old and two 16 year olds. They got the jump on me and it was downhill from there.”

“Well you need security for the rest of this trial. Liv, he needs police protection. Have there been threats? Do they know where you live? It’s not hard to find out.”

“Trevor.” Rafael took his fiancée’s face in his hands. “Everything is going to be fine.”

“Look in the mirror and tell me that, Rafael. They could've killed you.”

“Liv!” Rafael groaned. “I could use some help here.”

“OK.” She put her hand on Rafael’s shoulder. For a while she’d just been watching the exchange. Trevor had every right to be upset, someone he loved very much was hurt today. She knew when it came to Rafael that he tended to overreact, but was he really. Hell, just a minute ago Liv found out Rafael was getting threats during the Munoz disaster. If he kept that from her then he was probably keeping things from Trevor too. 

Sometimes being an ADA, being in rooms full of criminals with nothing to lose, was dangerous. Cops weren't always paying attention and plenty of things had gotten past security over the years. It was scary knowing that a loved one walked into the lion’s den every single day. The only weapons those girls had today was fists and rage. Next time might be different. “You go and get out of your clothes, take a long shower. I’ll talk to Trevor.”

Trevor looked at her incredulously. There was no way she was going to be able to defend this. Rafael sighed, tilting his chin up to kiss Trevor’s lips. He met him halfway as always. And then he watched Rafael walk away. When he was gone, Trevor’s eyes were back on Liv.

“Don’t you dare try to justify this to me.” Trevor went into the kitchen to pour himself a drink.

“There's nothing to justify. What happened today was aggravated assault. The perpetrators are in jail and Rafael is going to be fine. I know it looks a little rough right now but it could've been worse.”

“That doesn’t make me feel better, Olivia. I mean what the hell is going on down at Hogan Place? Is anyone there looking out for the safety of lawyers? Cops roam the hall all the time but I swear at least once a week there’s some fight or assault. Your life shouldn’t be in danger going to work.”

“My life is in danger going to work every day.” She reasoned.

“You made that choice! Rafael didn’t make that choice. He's taken a lot of beatings for you.”

“Hey, what is that supposed to mean?”

“I don’t want to fight.” Trevor sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He sipped on his rum and coke, trying to figure out a way to get Olivia to leave. He needed to check on Rafael.

“Neither do I. You know what, I’ll just go. You have a right to be upset Trevor, it was an upsetting day. But I have Rafael’s back and always will. I couldn’t follow him into the men’s bathroom but I would if I could've. My squad is small and understaffed but I will make sure that for the duration of this trial, all the way to sentencing, that he has an NYPD escort from 8 to 6. Whoever needs to sign off on it will do so.”

“I appreciate that. I'm sure Rafael will too.”

“I'm sure he's going to hate it. But Craft is a dangerous man and obviously he's not going down without a hell of a fight. He doesn’t mind someone else doing the dirty work for him.”

“Those girls are victims too.” Trevor said. “Are they going to have proper representation in family court?”

“We’ll worry about that some other time.” Liv looked at her watch. “I need to go home. I just wanted Rafael to get home safely and help explain what happened.”

“I shouldn’t have attacked you.” Trevor shook his head.

Liv wanted to brush it off but she also wanted to know what it meant. Was Rafael’s office treating him as her office at treated her concerning their relationship? That was all but an afterthought now since the whole world knew about Liv and Ed Tucker. But there were three years before that moment. How many Ls had he taken for Olivia? 

Were there any at all or was Trevor just upset and needed to lash out? No, she didn’t need to lie to herself, there were probably a few. When she was focused on the case, putting the bad guys in jail, Olivia usually had tunnel vision. She didn’t always think about the sacrifices made by others in the pursuit of the same cause. Unlike Alex and Casey before him, Rafael didn’t always come back with the martyr story. He didn’t bitch and moan about the smack downs he might have to take for defending something SVU had investigated or promised. 

He made his own decisions and stuck by them, preferring to be influenced by nothing but the evidence. Except everyone knew he had a soft spot for Olivia. But it had nothing to do with this…any ADA in their right mind would prosecute Michael Craft. He was a modern day Fagan and a lot of kids had been hurt under his spell. 

Not to mention the adult victims of the robberies and home invasions. Three people were dead because of him. Rafael’s prosecution had nothing to do with soft spots or taking beatings. He was doing the right thing for the people of New York.

“I have to go, Trevor. I know why you're upset and I'm not going to fight with you about it. Tonight we need to think about Rafael. I’ll call tomorrow, OK?”

Trevor nodded. He offered to walk Olivia to the door but she said she was fine. So Trevor waved, watching her leave. He drank his rum and coke and tried to stop trembling. Trevor was sad and angry; needed to get himself together. Olivia was right about one thing, this was about Rafael. His worry was normal but he needed to make it less about him and more about his fiancée.

***

Rafael opened his eyes and smiled at Trevor. He was sitting on the bed running his fingers through his hair.

“Did I fall asleep?” Rafael asked. He was in bed, curled under a bath sheet with Blanche. The puppy, now a year and a half old, was happy for Daddy’s love and attention.

“Mmm hmm. You didn’t even have the energy to get dressed.”

“I took the towel off.”

“Yeah, and you covered up with it.”

“Today sucked.” Rafael grumbled.

“I know, baby.” Trevor stroked his hair. “How do you feel?”

“Like I got beat up by Regina George and the mean girls. The judge gave me 48 hours to rest. We have to be back in the courtroom on Friday at one.”

“Two days is good. Are you hungry? I made some of the cinnamon sugar biscuits you like. You should probably have a full meal but you might not have an appetite.”

“You're holding back.” Rafael smiled some. “I appreciate it.”

“I'm trying. You’ve been through enough. You don’t need me acting like an ass on top of it.”

“Hey now,” Rafael sat up in bed. While Blanche wasn’t thrilled to have rest disturbed, she just cuddled closer to him. “You are not an ass. You were worried and I get that. It’s not always easy for me to rein you in so it’s great you're doing it on your own. But thank God someone out there cares about me. Thank God it’s you, Trev.”

“Look at your lip.” Trevor frowned as he caressed Rafael’s face. “I want to kiss you but it looks like it hurts.”

“Oh, it fuckin hurts…kiss me anyway.”

He did, as softly as he could. Trevor sighed and kissed him again.

“I’ll get you a couple of biscuits and then some Aleve. Also, no scotch tonight; you need to hydrate.”

“I got beat up, I don’t have a fever.” Rafael complained.

“No scotch tonight.” Trevor said firmly, kissing him again. “If you want to, after eating, we can walk Blanche together. Or I can do it on my own…I don’t mind.”

Blanche heard her name, looked up, decided the conversation wasn’t worth her interest, and went back into rest mode.

“We can do it together. I should probably stretch my limbs out anyway.”

Trevor wanted to know had a doctor looked Rafael over. He wasn’t going to hover, he was going to do everything in his power not to hover, but he wanted to make sure that any potential internal injuries had been taken care of or examined. There was some bruising around his rib area, on his arms, and on his shoulder blade. Trevor thought these girls must have been really inept but it was still enough of them to do some damage if that was the goal.

“An ambulance was called and I was thoroughly checked over. They said I didn’t have to go to the hospital that I was going to be fine. I did elbow one of the girls in the mouth but it was an accident; I was trying to get her off of me.”

“Liv said you're going to get police protection for the rest of the trial and we’re not going to argue about that.” Trevor said.

“I think you mean we’re not going to argue about that tonight.” Rafael countered.

“I mean what I said, babe. Do you want biscuits?”

“Yes, I'm starving. I probably need to get dressed.”

Rafael groaned as his body moved on the bed. Yeah, he was definitely going to need some Aleve. And scotch wasn’t the best idea but he had to be able to sneak just a nip; it would help him sleep later. He climbed out of bed and Trevor gave his bare butt a little slap as he walked by. Then he stood up and went into the kitchen. Rafael grabbed his phone and called Olivia while he dug out some comfy clothes to wear for walking the dog later.

“How are you feeling?” she asked after saying hello.

“Like I got beat up by Satan’s School for Girls. What did you say to Trevor?”

“What do you mean?”

“He's calm. I can usually tell when he's faking but I don’t think he is. He probably is a little bit but he's much calmer than when we came home tonight.”

“I didn’t say anything to him really.” Olivia said. “I just told him you’d been through enough today and it was OK to worry and take care of you but not to hover.”

“I should bring you home for more motivational speeches in the future.”

“I'm out of that business.” She said.

“What's the matter?” Rafael asked.

“Nothing.”

“Liv…”

“Nothing, really. I'm sorry what happened today had to happen. This case has taken so many ugly turns for a lot of people involved.”

“We’re going to get through it. I will apparently be doing so with a police escort.”

“I don’t want any arguments.” She said.

“I know, neither does Trevor. We live in a very messed up world when a man can't take a piss without fearing for his life.”

“Agreed. I have to go, I think Noah is coloring on the walls. I’ll call you in a couple of days; trial resumes on Friday.”

“Yes. Goodnight, Liv.”

“Goodnight.”

Rafael was hanging up just as Trevor came back into the room. He slipped on a pair of black track pants, a Foxy Brown tee shirt, and held a pair of sports socks in his hands.

“Was that Liv?” Trevor asked. He put down the small plate, glass of water, and a cup of tea.

“Yes. I just wanted to check in. Did you eat, cuchura? I don’t want you feeding me and then you pass out from hunger.”

“I ate while you were sleeping. I'm fine. C'mon and sit down on the bed.”

Rafael did and he smiled at his biscuits. The man had a notorious sweet tooth and Trevor was always trying to give him what he wanted, sweet stuff, and mixing it with what he needed. Cinnamon sugar biscuits were a great compromise.

“There’s Speculoos instead of butter.” Trevor said.

“Oh God, I love you.”

“I love you too. I'm glad you're going to be OK. And even though on the inside I am overreacting, I promise not to do it on the outside. I promise not to hover and coddle you. You're a grown man and can take care of yourself.”

“I like when you take care of me.” Rafael bit into his biscuit. He may or may not have let out something that could be inferred as a sexual moan.

“I can over do it.” Trevor said.

“Yep.” He nodded. “But no one else ever did, except abuelita, so it feels nice. Trust me, if you go too far I will rein you back in. But a little coddling the evening after Josie and the Pussycats kicked my ass…I'm not going to object to that. What I didn’t want is for you to fear for me, for you to cry or worry that things were worse than they were. I didn’t want you to do damage to yourself worrying about me.”

“Drink your tea.” Trevor pointed to the small mug. “It’s chamomile, it'll help you relax and probably help the Aleve go down a little better.”

“Are we sure I can't have just a nip of scotch?” Rafael asked.

“There’s a capful in the tea. Which you would know if you drank it.”

“I love you.” Rafael kissed his cheek.

“Of course you do…you just got your way. Don’t get used to it or anything.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” He shook his head. Then he put his hand on top of Trevor’s, which was resting on his lap. It wasn’t easy to eat with one hand but Rafael made do. He wanted the contact, wanted Trevor to know that he was loved and appreciated. Being able to come home to someone who hurt when you hurt was a privilege. 

All the Ivy League education and Rafael still wasn’t quite able to put it into words. They were the perfect couple. That didn’t mean that their lives were perfect, or even their relationship, but they were perfect for each other. With sometimes hard work, all the other aspect fell into place. The best part about being perfect for someone was knowing when you needed a little help to get to the next stop in life. 

Trevor was able to quell his usual fears and still be there for Rafael in the capacity he always was. And Rafael took a few deep breaths and realized that while he loved being coddled, being hovered over kind of drove him nuts. So they would compromise, through words and deeds, and everything would be fine. “I have to put these socks on so we can walk the dog. My side is bothering me some.”

“I’ll put the socks on.” Trevor took them from Rafael and got down on his knees. I want you to finish the tea and take the Aleve with at least a third of that water.”

“Remind me again, because I forgot what medical school you graduated from.”

“It’s the University of Concerned for Men who rarely take care of themselves, in Maui. I graduated summa cum laude. Do you need me to put your sneakers on?”

“No, I’ve got the runners that I can just slip into so I’ll wear those. Blanche’s leash is in the closet. C'mere my sweet beastie.” Rafael picked her up into his arms and was rewarded with happy licks on the face. “Daddy and other Daddy are going to take you for a walk. I think we should wear the cute pink sweater but I’ll let you decide.”

Blanche let out an enthusiastic bark, which to her master meant yes. So Rafael reached into the nightstand drawer and got the powder pink, half cashmere-half cotton sweater. He was gentle as he put it over Blanche’s head, and she turned obediently in his arms as he slipped her front legs into the holes.

“You're such a beautiful puppy princess.” He held her up, admired her outfit, and then gave her kisses.

“Dog kisses won't cause infections with any lacerations I might have, would they?” Rafael asked as Trevor came back with the leash.

“Doubtful. But thoroughly wash your face with antibacterial face wash before bed just to be sure. Also, put a shirt on under that tee since you're just going to wear a hoodie on a windbreaker. It feels like winter out there. Not shitty winter, but still winter.”

“Yes, Daddy.” Rafael smiled as he went back to the chest of drawers. He pulled out a black thermal, took off his Foxy Brown tee shirt, put the thermal on, and Pam Grier was once again on full display.

Trevor grinned at the name and knew that no matter how ready either of their bodies might be, there would be no sex tonight. He would give Rafael Aleve and Ambien so he could both sleep and heal while he rested. Trevor might even pop an Ambien tonight to make sure he slept and didn’t just stare at Rafael while he gently snored. Tomorrow he would run him a hot bath with the bath salts that he loved. Then there would be a few heating pads for the soreness while Blanche was out at doggy school. Trevor was making lists and plans, moving all kinds of boxes in his head to make sure that Rafael didn’t just rest tomorrow but got beneficial rest. When it was time to return to court no one, least of all that scum of the earth Michael Craft, would think they got the better of Rafael Barba.

Trevor changed into a pair of jeans and a Penn State sweat shirt, ignoring the snobbish look of the man he loved. They left the bedroom and got jackets from the front closet. Blanche was quite pleased to be going outside this evening. Rain was in the air so hopefully she wouldn’t want to be out for long. But it was nice way to end a long, rather terrible day. Two men in love, holding hands, taking their princess of a dog on a nightly walk.

“We’re so cute.” Rafael said as Trevor locked the apartment door.

“Yeah, we are.”

“And lucky too.”

“Blanche might be the luckiest.” Trevor said. “She's the princess of her own New York condo. It doesn’t get much better than that.”

The French bulldog was in no mood to argue being the best as she yanked on her leash and ran out the front door. Trevor laughed, grabbing Rafael’s hand before he got dragged halfway down the street. She was little but very strong when she wanted to be.

***


End file.
